Chinese Seaside Resort Destination Sanya Promotes Its Charm in London

The 2017 Sanya Celebration joins hands with Miss World to invite local attendees to visit Sanya

LONDON, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2017 Sanya Celebration (the "Celebration"), an international tourism promotional event themed "A Romantic Invitation to Beautiful Sanya", organised by Sanya Municipal People's Government, a coastal city in China's Hainan province, was held in London, England, on August 21. The most compelling characteristics of the city as a tropical coastal destination were highlighted to each of the guests participating in the event. The event served to extend an invitation to travellers from the UK, welcoming them to visit China's popular seaside vacation destination. The promotional meeting was warmly received by the British side, with almost 200 guests in attendance, including Miss World Ltd chairwoman Julia Morley, Miss World 2016 Stephanie Del Valle, BBC Senior Vice President Richard Pattinson, Queen of England's Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London Thomas Chan, Spark International co-founder David King and China Southern Airlines' London Office general manager Zhou Tieying, among other representatives from the British tourism industry and journalists from the country's authoritative media outlets.

The Celebration impressed Londoners with extraordinary local elements and in partnership with Miss World

The roadshow started with a singing and dancing performance put on by performers from Hainan province's Li and Miao minority nationalities. The amazing melodies and lyrics made the attendees yearn for the beautiful coastal scenery of Sanya. In the exhibit area, elements of Sanya were displayed everywhere with a photo exhibition, a food tasting event, a culture display of the local Li nationality and experiences of the local natural scenery via VR glasses, making the attendees feel like being in the seaside city. Miss World 2016 Stephanie Del Valle interacted enthusiastically with the attendees, welcoming them to gather at the 2017 Miss World Final in Sanya.

Nora Robert, a Londoner who attended the event and expressed a keen interest in Sanya's appeal as an ideal tropical destination, noted, "Sanya has breath-taking sights and unique folk culture, especially the ethnic dances. I'm looking forward to visiting the tropical city during the 2017 Miss World Final."

Sanya's executive vice mayor Bao Jian said at the event, "As one of the best cities to live in China and one of the Chinese cities with the highest air quality, Sanya has been hailed as 'a city that establishes a reputation around the world for its extraordinary sunshine and air quality'. Over the past few years, the city has been committed to transforming itself into an international tropical seaside destination that is very suitable for both leisure vacation and living by refreshing the urban landscape through integration of its mountains, rivers and the sea. Sanya has also become an open international city that has engaged in friendly collaborations and exchanges with over 40 countries and regions worldwide while building sister city relationships with 13 cities around the world. Last year, Sanya established a sister city relationship with Blackpool, UK, in a move to promote exchanges and other collaborative activities between the two cities across several sectors, including commerce, culture, art and tourism. The Celebration held today provides a platform through which travellers from the UK can develop an understanding of the city. More travellers from the country are encouraged to visit the amazing destination with extraordinary tourism resources and experience the city's unique landscape and culture."

Mr. Chan stated, "Sanya is one of the world's most sought-after travel destinations for British people. The promotional meeting has presented the city's unique charm as a tropical seaside resort, allowing local attendees to have a better understanding of the city. More travellers from the UK are encouraged to come and visit Sanya. I also look forward to facilitating the collaborations and exchanges between Sanya and London across tourism and culture sectors."

An all-dimensional and multi-perspective promotional approach leads to positive feedback from local attendees

A promotional meeting themed "A Romantic Invitation to Beautiful Sanya" was held during the Celebration, with representatives from British tourism service providers, travel agencies and travel-focused media outlets in attendance. The event was set up with facilities combining the classic British style with the unique elements of Sanya, consolidating the city's brand image as a prime international tropical seaside vacation destination. The promotional meeting was strongly supported by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, British travel agencies, British mainstream media and China Chamber of Commerce.

With a focus on integrated marketing, the promotional meeting introduced Sanya's natural resources, established hotels, MICE (meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition) events, airlines and routes as well as a variety of tourism services. During the event, Sanya Tourism Development Commission researcher Tang Sixian vividly gave an illustrated presentation on Sanya and interacted well with attendees, allowing participants to increase awareness of the coastal city in a joyful environment. Miss World Ltd spokesperson STEVE extended an invitation to attendees by telling his personal living experience in Sanya, welcoming them to visit the seaside vacation destination. Subsequently, hotels, airlines and the MICE industry executives each took turns in welcoming tourists from the UK and around the world to the tropical city with the highest standards, best services and best reception capabilities in their respective fields. Enthusiasm and hospitality of Sanya's citizenry demonstrated via the presentation by the delegation from Sanya made a deep impression on all the attendees.

Miss World Ltd chairwoman Julia Morley was one of the attendees who had previously visited the city. At the event, she announced the plan to host the 2017 Miss World pageant in Sanya in December and send an invitation to London citizen. Miss Morley told guests in her own experience: "Sanya is a beautiful city where the local citizenry is gentle, open-minded and inclusive and these are core criteria for the selection of a Miss World winner. We are looking forward to deepening and improving partnerships with Sanya to build a better cooperation platform, and helping the city explore international markets through holding the 2017 Miss World Final in it."

Several representatives from travel agencies and media said that Sanya is their tourism destination dream. Its beautiful sights and rich tourism resources are most attractive to British tourists. They are looking forward to seeing direct flights from Sanya to London, allowing more British tourists to visit and experience the Chinese city.

A UK-based international travel agency who attended the meeting commented, "That's great! Sanya is an ideal tourism market for us and a popular vacation destination, especially as a result of the beautiful scenery, the high quality services and the enthusiasm of its citizenry, as well as the wide variety of tourism services. We are eager for launch of direct flight services between Sanya and UK as soon as possible. We are looking forward to strengthening our cooperation with Sanya, giving more British tourists the opportunity to have a good time and enjoy Sanya's tropical scenery."

During the interaction session, the Sanya delegation conducted in-depth discussions with British travel agencies on how to launch flight services between Sanya and London and to improve reception capabilities.

The Celebration had previously been held in Bangkok, Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jakarta, Indonesia, Almaty, Kazakhstan, Moscow, Russia, and now it moves to London. Sanya's municipal government said that future stops for the roadshow include Germany, as well other countries that are the main sources of visitors to Sanya. At each stop they plan to host promotional events with the aim of enhancing the awareness and heightening the reputation of Sanya in international tourism markets.